Rotatable playing card holder



Aug. 9, 1955 E. M. DRAKE ROTATABLE PLAYING CARD HOLDER Filed April 29, 1952 j F Z INVENTOR. f0/V4/F0 M 0/3414 5 /VWZZ W ATTORNEY 2,715,025 ROTATABLE PLAYING CARD HOLDER Edward M. Drake, Niagara Falls, N. Y. Application April 29, 1952, Serial No. 284,917 7 Claims. (Cl. 273-450) The present invention relates to an article-supporting device, and more particularly to a rotatable holder for playing cards.

In playing various card games, it is frequently difficult for the players to handle the cards initially dealt or acquired during the play of the game. Especially in the various forms of rummy, it is often necessary to hold a-relatively large number of cards to be arranged in predetermined sequences and/or according to rank. With the advent of the game referred to as canasta, a variant of rumrny, the problem of holding, manipulating, and arranging a large number of cards has become more prevalent This card game may be played with as many as six players utilizing three full decks of regular playing cards shuffled together. During the course of the game, it is entirely commonplace for a player to pick up the pack of discards which may be of a number too great to handle with ease. This makes it exceptionally diflicult'for the player to continue with the game, and necessarily results in slower play and annoying delays. Additionally, the player may find it diflicult to keep track of the cards, and runs the risk of having one or more cards inadvertently obscured from his own view or seen by an opposing player.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a playing card holder which obviates at least some of the foregoing difficulties.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a playing card holder which can accommodate a large number of cards for arrangement in predetermined groups visible only to the particularplayer holding these cards;

A further object of the present invention is the provi sion of a rotatable playing card holder whichmay be manipulated to obscure the hand supported therein from players other than the one holding the hand.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision of a movable playing card holder which can be readily manipulated by a player with one hand, leaving the other hand free for smoking, scoring, and the like.

It is a still further object of the present invention to a provide a rotatable playing-card holder capable of being manipulated by both right and left handed players, and requiring a minimum amount of skill and dexterity for successful use in card games requiring a large number of playing cards.

Certain objects of the present invention are realized by the provision of a playing card holder embodying an elongated base constructed to rest horizontally on a support. The base is provided with a longitudinally extending. seat for a holder body which is provided witha slot adapted. to receive playing cards arranged in stacks. or in overlapped relation. The holder body is rotatably mounted and may be operated by a gripping member adjacent one end thereof for movement from a playing position wherein the cards are readily visible to a non- Unitc States Patent 065cc 2,7l5,@25 Patented. Aug. 9, 1955 2. playing position wherein the cards are obscured from view.

According to another feature of the present invention, the. base. and. holder body are of substantially symmetri'calv construction to permit the use of the holder by either a right: or left handed player 'by merely turning the holder end for end to render the gripping member accessible to the appropriate hand of the player.

According. to a further feature of the present invention, a resilient latch mechanism may be connected to the card. holder for returning the holder body to the playing position when manipulated therefrom, and for releasably locking the holder body in the non-playing position;

The. above objects and brief description as well as other objects and advantages of the present invention will be best understood'by reference to the following detailed description. of an illustrative embodiment when taken. in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. .1 isxatop plan view, partially broken away, of a playing. card holder constructed according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is aiside elevational view of the holder, with parts brokenaway and sectioned;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along the lines 3-3 of .Fig; 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is. a perspective. view of the card holder shown in the playing position, the non-playing position being illustrated in phantom; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side elevational view, with parts broken away and sectioned, showing a modification of; the card holder of Fig. 1 in accordance with principles of the present invention.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in Figs. 1 to 4 an" illustrative. form of the card holder constructed according. tothe present invention which embodies an elongated base. lllxhaving a flat bottom 12 adapted to rest on a horizontal support, such as the table top 14. The base 10 is provided-with an upwardly-opening longitudinally extending seat 16 of substantially semi-circular cross section, as clearly. seen in Fig. 3. Secured to or formed integrally with the base 10 are the upright end walls. 18, 20 which rotatably support a holder body 22.

The holder body 22, of circular cross section, is arranged coaxially of the seat 16 and has one end journaled'within a substantially complementary opening 24 in end wall 18. The other end of the holder body 22 carries an axially aligned stub shaft 26 of reduced circular cross section which extends through a complementary opening 28 in end wall 20. The stub shaft 26 projects beyond the end wall 20 and supports a gripping member or knob 30. The size of the bearing seats or openings 24, 28'are selected with respect to the circular holder body 22 and stub shaft 26 to maintain the holder body 22 many one position until moved by grasping the gripping member 30 and turning the same.

The holderbody 22 is constructed to support a group of playing cards to be selectively arranged in an upright or playing position, (designated by the letter A, Fig. 4) wherein the. cards are readily visible to a player or in a substantially horizontal or non-playing position, (designated by the letter B and illustrated in phantom in Fig. 4), wherein the cards are obscured from view. Specifically, the holder body 22 is formed with an elongated upwardly opening. slot-32'suitably dimensioned for the support therein of the playing cards arranged in stacks or in overlapping relation.

In, order to supportlthe playing cards when brought into the non-playing position, the base 10 is provided with the horizontalabutment surfaces 34, 34 arranged symmetrical of the axis of rotation of the holder body 22. As is apparent, a right-handed player can grasp the gripping member 30 and rotate the holder body 22 into the non-playing position wherein the cards rest on abutment surface 34, while a left-handed player turns the holder end for end and rotates the holder body 22 into another non-playing position wherein the cards rest on abutment surface 34". It follows that the playing card holder can be used with equal facility by either right or left handed players.

Referring now to Fig. 5, there is shown a modification of the holder which permits the same to be locked in either of the non-playing positions for subsequent release and automatic restoration to the upright or playing position. For this purpose, an outer portion of the circular stub shaft 23 is replaced by a square stub shaft 36, and the fixed gripping member 30 is replaced by a gripping member 38 which is slidable on the square shaft 36. A restoring spring 40 is coiled about the shaft 36 and has one end fixed to the adjacent end wall 20 and has the other end fixed to gripping member 38. Projecting beyond the surface 42 of gripping member 38, is a lock pin or detent i4 receivable within a recess 46 which is positioned to receive the pin for locking the holder body 22 in the non-playing position, as illustrated. A similar recess, not shown, may be provided for locking the holder body in the other non-playing position. Spring 40 is arranged to serve the dual function of biasing the gripping members 38 towardend wall 20 so that the pin 44 will ride into the appropriate recess 46 upon rotation of the holder body 22, and additionally restores the holder body 22 to the upright position when manipulated therefrom.

When playing a card game such as canasta, each player can be equipped with a card holder constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention. The holders are placed in front of the respective players in position to be actuated by either hand. During the course of play, the holder body can be rotated into and out of the playing position in accordance with the desires of the player by a simple manual manipulation. Specifically, when employing the holder of Figs. 1 to 4, the holder body 22 may be rotated by turning the gripping member 39. In the modification of Fig. 5, when the player wishes to obscure his hand from view, the gripping member 30 is turned until the pin 44 rides into the complementary recess 46. Thereafter, and until such time as the gripping member 38 is urged away from the end wall 20 and turned until the pin 44 is freed from the recess 46, the holder body is maintained in the non-playing position with the restoring spring 40 under tension. When the pin 44 is brought out of the recess 46, the restoring spring 4'0 returns the holder body 22 to the playing position.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description, that the present holder is exceptionally reliable and simple in use and permits the more thorough enjoyment of card games requiring the handling of relatively large numbers of cards.

While in accordance with the provisions of the statutes, I have illustrated and described the best form of embodiment of my invention now known to me, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes may be made in the form of the apparatus disclosed without departing from the spirit of my invention as set forth in the appended claims and that in some cases certain features of my invention may be used to advantage without a corresponding use of other features.

What I claim is:

l. A playing card holder comprising a base adapted to rest horizontally on a support and formed with an upwardly opening longitudinally extending seat, a holder body mounted within said seat of said base and journaled within said base for rotational movement about a horizontal axis, said holder body being formed with an elongated slot constructed and dimensioned to support a group of playing cards in position to be viewed by a player, and manually operable means operatively connected to said holder body for effecting rotational movement of said body into a position wherein said group of playing cards are obscured from view.

2. A holder for playing cards comprising an elongated base formed with an upwardly opening longitudinally extending seat, an elongated holder body within said seat of said base and rotatably mounted on said base for movement about a longitudinal axis, said holder body being provided with a longitudinally extending slot adapted to receive said playing cards, and gripping means operatively connected to said holder body for effecting movement of said holder body from a playing position wherein said playing cards are upright and exposed to view to non-playing positions wherein said playing cards are substantially horizontal and obscured from view.

3. A holder for playing cards according to claim 2, including horizontal abutment surfaces formed on said base symmetrically of said axis and supporting said playing cards in said non-playing positions.

4. A playing card holder comprising an elongated base adapted to rest on a horizontal support, said base being provided with a longitudinally extending seat of substantially semi-circular cross section, an elongated circular holder body arranged coaxially of said seat and journaled within said base for rotational movement, said holder body being provided with a longitudinally extending slot adapted to receive a group of cards, and a gripping member connected to one end of said holder body for effecting rotational movement of said holder body from a playing position wherein said group of cards are exposed to view to a non-playing position wherein said group of cards are obscured from view.

5. A playing card holder comprising a base having a longitudinally extending seat, a holder body disposed within said seat and journaled on said base for rotational movement, said holder body being constructed and arranged to support a group of cards thereon, a gripping member connected to said holder body for rotating said holder body from a playing position wherein said group of cards are exposed to view to a non-playing position wherein said group of cards are obscured from view, resilient means operatively connected to said holder body for biasing said holder body out of said non-playing position and into said playing position, and releasable latch means operable upon rotation of said holder body into said non-playing position for maintaining said holder body in said non-playing position.

6. A playing card holder comprising a base formed with an upwardly-opening longitudinally extending seat and including end walls, a holder body partially nested in said seat and rotatably supported in said end walls, said holder body being constructed and arranged to support a group of cards thereon for rotational movement from playing to non-playing positions, horizontal abutment surfaces formed on said base symmetrically of said seat and supporting the group of cards when in said non-playing position, and means operable outwardly of one of said end walls for selectively arranging said holder body in said playing and non-playing positions.

7. A playing card holder comprising a base formed with an upwardly-opening longitudinally extending seat and including end walls, a holder body partially nested in said seat and rotatably supported in said end walls, said holder body being constructed and arranged to support a group of cards thereon for rotational movement from playing to non-playing positions, horizontal abutment surfaces formed on said base symmetrically of said seat and supporting the group of cards when in said nonplaying position, and means operable outwardly of one of said end walls for selectively arranging said holder body in said playing and non-playing positions, said means including a gripping member slidably and non-rotatably supported on said holder body, a coil spring connected between said one end wall and said gripping member, said coil spring normally biasing said gripping member against said one end wall and maintaining said holder body in said playing position, and inter-engaging means on said gripping member and said one end wall for holding said holder body in said non-playing position and releasable upon movement of said gripping member away from said one end wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Dragits Sept. 30, 1913 Kehres Jan. 11, 1921 Clark Aug. 28, 1928 Littlefield Mar. 5, 1929 Richardson Dec. 13, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Apr. 12, 1934 

